Deceit and Love

Prologue

"I need a break!" Elle said. She ran her hands through her long brown hairs and groaned in frustration. Her life was a miserable excuse of living. Oh wait; she had no life at all. You don't call work, eat, sleep-and repeat- a life, do you? In the middle of all this she had Ronnie-a ten year old brother- to take care of which gave her a reason for living. Had it not been him she would have given up quite early.

She placed another price tag on the can when her phone rang. The screen showed that the call was from Ronnie's school. She frowned but picked up the call.

"Ms. Kent?" the crisp voice of Ronnie's Principal reached her. If the Principal was calling herself it sure would have some important matter.

Oh Ronnie, what have you done now?

"Yes Mrs. Violet." She spoke up.

"Ms. Kent we have some news regarding your brother Ronald Kent." Her voice didn't sound much crisp now and that made Elle's neck hair stand.

"What is it Mrs. Violet? Is he okay? Is Ronnie okay?" she said trying not to picture the worst possibilities.

"Ms. Kent, we would rather you come here and we can talk. It is a serious matter," said the Principal.

"I am on my way there." Elle said and then stowed the phone in her pocket.

"Paul, I am going to Ronnie's school. Something has come up. I'll see if I can drop in later. I don't know what's going on" she said to the storekeeper-in-charge.

"Sure Elle, take all the time you need and call if I can be any help." Paul gave her a small smile.

"Thanks. I will." She rushed out of the Albertsons supermarket where she had been working loyally for the past five years and got to her car.

Be okay. Please be okay Ronnie.

She kept making small prayers and drove as fast as she could to the school.

"I am afraid he has gone missing from the school premises during the lunch hour." As soon as she met the Principal, the old lady dropped the bomb on her.

"Missing?" she took steps back and her eyes went wide open. She went speechless for a moment.

"What do you mean he is missing? Where can he go from here? I am sure he is here somewhere. You must have left a few places unsearched while checking. It's a big school." She was blabbering now.

"His classmates saw some men take him away." Mrs. Violet said in a grave tone.

"What? And what were you doing? Looking at them taking Ronnie away?" Her voice rose and soon she was yelling and crying at the same time.

"Ms. Kent..." the Principal tried to calm her down but she backed away.

"This is absurd. How can some men come to your school out of nowhere and then abduct my brother in between an audience. This is how the security is around here?" She knew she was wrong to accuse the school management but hell, her brother was missing how could she not blame the school for it?

"We have called the cops. I am sure they're about to reach the school at any moment."

Just then her phone started to vibrate. She pulled it out. It was a private number. She didn't want to answer but then she thought maybe it would be from Ronnie. She answered it.

"Hello?"

No one spoke up.

"Hello? Who is this?"

No answer.

"Hello!" she spoke with force now.

"Step back from the office so that no one can hear you." A low taut male voice came.

"Who are you? How come you know ..." before she could complete the words, the speaker in the phone cut it.

"That doesn't matter who I am. What matters is what I'll do with your little brother. So be a good girl and step out of the reach of the others in the office." He said in a slow but forceful voice.

Elle look around. The Principal was watching her with narrowed eyes. She stepped out of the office and came to the corridor.

"Where is Ronnie?" she asked.

"He is safe. For now but anything can change. It all depends on your cooperation."

"Why do you have him? What did we do to you?" she was almost in tears. "What do you want?" She said in frustration when no answer came from the other side.

"Yes. What do I want? This is important, isn't it?" said the voice. "What can you do for me?" he asked

"Can you stop talking in circles and get to the point? What do you want?" she said in a hard voice brushing the tears off her face. She needed to be strong.

"If you wish so." He gave a low chuckle. "There is a car waiting outside your home. Get in it and you'll be driven to where I want you to be."

"How do I know which car?"

"Oh you'll know alright and don't tell anyone or else..."

The line went dead.

"Hello? Hello!" she spoke. "Damn!"

"Ms. Kent? Are you okay? The cops are around the corner." The Principal's assistant called from behind. She jumped on his voice.

"Yeah, all fine. There is no need for cops." She turned to leave, her mind already running miles per second.

"But Ms..." She didn't wait to listen.

A black SUV was waiting for her as she reached her house. As soon as she stopped her car in the driveway, a man in a cheap black suit got out of the car. His eyes were hidden behind dark shades and his face spoke of wildness. Despite his dressing, his whole outlook was of nothing that said of sophistication.

Sophistication be damned. He kidnapped my brother.

Elle thought acid-icily and then got out herself. The man opened the rear door of the SUV and gestured her to get in.

"Where is Ronnie?" she stood before him. No matter how fast her heart was beating or how afraid she was, she wanted some answers first.

"You'll know. Get in." He had a heavy accent.

"Tell me first."

"Suit yourself." He was about to shut the door when she stopped him. "Fine, I'll get in." he gave her an ugly grin.

They drove all the way out of New Jersey to the interstate. After a forty minute drive they stopped outside a building. The suited man opened her door. She took tentative steps towards the building. It looked like no one had been there for years. She stepped in. It was all empty except for a big chair in the middle and two desktop systems.

"Ronnie?" she called. Her own voice echoed in the empty building.

"Ah, here you are." a man appeared on one of the screens.

Part 1

Chapter One

Augustus popped the Champagne open and took a huge gulp. The cool sea breeze gave him so much satisfaction. He let his eyes close and let the invigorating wind soothe him. As a calm effect it gave him outside, he wished his inner being could too receive some mollification. He had accomplished his biggest dream today. He was standing on the deck of his ship "The Royal Cruise" with a massive welcome party going on inside on his behalf. He was finally where he wanted himself to be - a billionaire. He had proven all of them wrong who had said he wasn't worth anything. He had showed everyone what he was capable of doing and what he had attained. He had achieved it on his own and the proof was this cruise he had built. It had taken him three years to build it up but his struggle was far, far longer than that. All his life, he had thought about this - about being here.

Tonight was about celebration, about his victory. But none of it felt meaningful to him. It felt empty. He was still at loss inside. All these years he wanted was to be what he was today and now that he had the entire world under his feet, he was feeling empty handed. He had acquired his dreams and felt like he had achieved nothing. What was he supposed to do when he had everything in hand and still seem to have gained nothing? He was still the same slum kid who was treated trash by the same kind of people who now enjoyed the party inside his cruise's extravagant ballroom. He had the same heart that was bruised long time back by these rich people who laughed at him and his ideas. They now were willing to lick his shoes if he would let them inside his office. His old wounds were so much that he just couldn't loosen up to live his life a little. He was always so focused and so consumed in building his dreams that he had forgotten what was living in the moment about. He had forgotten how it was to cheer up and laugh a little. He never experienced how it is to party with people his own age. He never allowed himself to step into distractions. In his marathon of making something out of himself, he had reached the milestone but on the way he had lost all the little joys of life. At this young age of thirty two, he hadn't only managed to make himself a billionaire out of nothing but had gained knowledge on what people spend their whole life for. They would save all of their hard earn money just to go on a cruise. So they can brag to their friends and family. In the shadow of all this, he was lousy at relationships, he had no family to lean back on and no friends to share beer with. He was all alone with piles of money and no one to spend it on. Maybe it was the real life he was now craving for. One in which you grill steaks with friends in your backyard and go to movies with some girl who actually cares for him, not his millions.

He took a large gulp of the crisp liquid and let the burning liquid numb his inner feelings. He felt such a gloomy soul sometimes. Who would have guessed who Augustus Knight actually was? No one saw his other side. For the world he was the billionaire Augustus Knight who had launched the magnificent cruise and was executing the most lavish trip from New York to the Bahamas Island. Then there was the Augustus, the introvert, self-conscious and reserved man who grew up in the smelly slums of Santa Marta with nothing in hands but just dreams bigger than his pockets. He might have updated from torn and tattered clothes to custom tailored Armani and Gucci suits but deep beneath, his heart was the same as it was then. All this wealth and status hadn't been able to take away his roots.

He should have been inside with the guests who were there to share his success with him, who waited to congratulate him for his achievement. But he was done plastering a fake smile to people he had known all his life. They were like blood sucking leeches. They know who could be profitable for them and they extended their hands to them. They were the same who closed their doors on his face when he was just a young man with great ideas. He wondered how much difference money could make in the way people interact and he had crossed that difference. He needed a break from the spot light now.

"Assholes!" a female voice struck his ears bringing him out of his nostalgic state. "All men are fucking assholes. This world is filled with assholes! Why do I have to run in to one every fucking minute?" the voice came near to him.

He frowned at the disturbance that was coming his way. He wanted some quietness. Since all the people were enjoying the feast inside, he hadn't expected anyone to be out there in the cold. Just then the source of the voice came into his view and his frown slowly turned into a raised brow. A young woman, twenty two he guessed, was doing a little monkey dance as she came closer to the railing. She was a brunette with a slim figure. She had a good height. Her outfit, he noticed was nothing one could wear at a dinner party; especially for the one going inside the ball room. She was wearing skin fit faded blue jeans that showed off her long, never ending legs and her shirt was a white button down that she was trying to hold away from her body. He looked down to see she was wearing ballet flats. A small smile appeared on Augustus's face. She was totally in inappropriate attire for the party she had just exited. For some reason it intrigued him. When she came further closer, he saw that the front of her shirt was all soaked in some liquid. What caught more of his attention was that he could see through the white fabric and his body jumped to attention, some parts more than others. The woman was sexy and he had a sudden desire to have her.

"Dare I ask, what made you despise the male specie so much?" he plastered his most flirtatious smile and asked. The girl jumped back at his voice and turned to where he was standing. She had clearly not noticed him before. At first he saw her eyes go wide as she took him in. He knew he had a look that made all women want him so he decided to use all his charms. After all what women needed was a pretty face and a bit of charming lines. He was accustomed to latter and by some luck he wasn't that bad at appearance too. He needed someone in his bed tonight and it would be this sexy brunette who now was frowning at him. He picked up the champagne bottle and the extra glass and strolled towards her.

"I didn't realize someone would be here." She said in a frigid voice.

"Well, ditto." He said taking steps closer to her. He saw her breath hitched. His gaze followed down to soaked shirt which she had let go of. He could see her black lacy bra under it. His pants tightened at the look of them. He wanted her out of the shirt and wanted to know how it would feel when he would shear the lace with his fingers and she would squirm under him. How would it be when these long legs will be wrapped around him and she will be crying out his name in pleasure when he'll pump into her hard and fast. Damn, he wanted her and he wanted her now. The desire was bursting inside him that he could taste it in his mouth. It had been too longs since he had someone. And now that he was standing before this sexy woman, she was all he wanted. He would charm her pants off if that's what it will take. His eyes stopped at her full breasts. He was imagining his hands on them. Will they be as soft as they look? They'll fit perfectly in his palms, won't they? His arousal hardened and his trousers tightened. If just looking at them made him this hard what will happen when he'll actually feel them under his touch.

She cleared her throat and said in a stern voice, "My eyes are up here."

He dragged his eyes up to her face and saw that despite her words and tone, her cheeks were all flushed. Oh, so she was having the same thoughts as him, just trying not to make it as obvious as him. Ah that's what he liked. A little resistance only enhanced the foreplay. A slow smile appeared on his face and he leisurely looked at her. Her eyes were dilated, he could see. When they say eyes are reflection of the heart, they spoke the truth.

"I am pretty aware, sweetheart." he grinned at her. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him.

"I am not your sweetheart." She said to him.

He liked it. "Yet." He said coyly.

"Not yet, not ever." She said in a brisk tone. She didn't appear like those girls who kept falling on his every word to get a smile from him. She seemed to fight her attraction towards him. He could see her breath has fastened. Her heart beat had sped up, as he closed the distance between them. The proof was the rapid rise and fall of her chest which kept distracting him. He decided to make a direct approach to her. She didn't appear like she would be getting swept away easily.

He placed the bottle and glass down and then turned to her. He was deliberately making all his movements slow. Creating the anticipation could do wonders and he was very well aware of it. "Ever is a very long time, I must say." He said and then extended his hand towards her. "I'm Augustus."

She hesitated a bit but then placed her hand in his. "I am not sure if it's nice to meet you Augustus." Her hand was small but the effect it had on him was far greater. If a small touch could affect him like this, he could imagine what would it feel like when she would touch him on other places.

He wanted to groan. "I am sure it will be." He said meaningfully and then smirked at her. She pulled her hand away and then turned to face the sea. "This is the part when you tell me your name." he said standing next to her.

"Really, is that so? No I haven't done this before that's why I ask." Her tone was sarcastic. Augustus couldn't help but chuckle.

"Is it how you always respond to people who are trying for you?" he asked dryly. "Are you?" she asked looking at him straight in the eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" he said in a husky voice. This questions play was making the anticipation more painful.

"So, your name?" he asked.

"Persistent, aren't you?" She said. Her lips tugged upward from the corners of her mouth.

"Ah just one of my charms." He made it sound dramatic and she gave a little laugh. Okay so he was cracking her up a bit. He smacked his back mentally for the progress.

"Since I can't buy you the drink, may I pour you a drink?" he swirled his hands like a waiter and she once more gave out a laugh. Her face blossomed and her feature became more alluring. He wanted to kiss her right then.

"I don't know if I can trust you." she said pointing at the bottle, "With that drink. I wonder what your intentions are." She was flirting back.

"Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith first. The trust part comes later." He made his accent dramatic and quoted Man of Steel.

"You just didn't quote me Super Man!" She gasped and said horrifically, though he could see she was struggling for a straight face.

"Well, I did. And technically it's Father Leone that I quoted." He smirked and then poured the Champagne in the glass and forwarded it to her. "A leap of faith milady?" He didn't know what had taken over him but this little encounter of words was making him happy like he hadn't been in a long time.

"Since you struggled for it too much." She said in a courteous tone. A smile played on her lips and then she took the glass. Their fingers touched briefly and he felt the spark instantly. She sucked in a breath and drew her hand away quickly. He wanted his hands on her. She took a hasty sip of the drink. He could tell she was nervous. Hell, he was too. A first for Him.

"To the leap of faith." He toasted.

"Gross but to the leap of faith." She clink her glass to his. He looked at her as she took a tentative sip of her drink. His heart said this woman was going to stick to his memory for a long time. She was already getting under his skin and he hadn't known her name yet.

A faint sound of music began to fill the silence. He inched closer to her and then whispered in her ear, "Dance with me." He snaked an arm around her slender waist and pulled her into his embrace. Her body touched his and a fire sparked inside him. He caressed her collar bone and trailed it slowly, sensuously down to her arm and then her palm. He took the soft hand into his own and brought it up to his mouth and placed a small kiss inside her palm before placing it on his shoulder. He looked down at her. She was holding her breath and looking at his movements as if trying to gauge his next move. He smiled down at her and then bent his mouth to her forehead. He lingered there for a second, enjoying the warmth of her skin and then trailed his mouth down to her temple. He could feel her heartbeat on the nerve. The ferocity was easily noticeable. He lowered further and stopped at her ear, then whispered, "Breathe."

He swayed her slowly along with the beats of the music keeping her close to his body and his head above hers. She leaned into his movements. They fit perfectly together. He could rest his chin over her head. "Tell me your name, beautiful." He said to her pulling his head down so that he could sniff her strawberry smelling soft hair.

"Elle." She said in a low voice.

Elle? Perfect. He thought. "Beautiful name for the beautiful girl." He ran his nose along her jaw and then stepped back. She looked at him in surprise. He grinned at her and then swirled her around. A laugh escaped her throat.

"What?" he asked himself smiling.

"I have never danced like this before." She said straightening her face. "Like this?" He grinned at her and then swirled her couple of times more until she was laughing again.

"Oh my, this is so..."she didn't complete her sentence. Augustus pulled her back to him.

"This is what?" he urged.